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Antonio Brown has two games remaining in what might be the best statistical season by a Steelers wide receiver. No wonder he doesn't think he's close to being done yet.

Given he's only 25, Brown certainly doesn't believe this is a once-in-a-lifetime season, not when he's certain he isn't close to being in his prime.
“I probably need to be more productive, catch more balls,” Brown said. “I need to help us find ways to win more.”
The Steelers (6- are underachieving as a team, but Brown has done everything asked of him and more in his first season as their No. 1 receiver.

Maybe, coach Mike Tomlin said, it's because “In his mind, he's always been a No. 1 receiver, even when he was a No. 4.”
The Steelers might have made some questionable personnel decisions in recent seasons, but giving Brown a big-money contract — and allowing Mike Wallace to walk — after Brown had caught only two career touchdown passes wasn't one of them.

Brown is third in the NFL with 95 catches, trailing only Andre Johnson (99) of Houston and Pierre Garcon (96) of Washington. He is within five catches of joining Hines Ward and becoming only the second Steelers receiver to catch 100 passes in a season.
He is also third in the league with 1,307 yards — 91 yards behind Yancey Thigpen's 1997 club record of 1,398.

He could break that record Sunday when the Steelers play in Green Bay (7-6-1). “But this Steelers team is (6- and that's more important than anything,” Brown said when asked about his statistics. “I've got to help us figure out how to win games, and that's where I am right now.”
It's obvious where coach Mike Tomlin thinks Brown is, and that's in the upper tier of NFL skill position players.

Yet asked about Brown's breakout season, Tomlin compared him not to Ward or Wallace but to ... James Harrison? “He's got a ridiculous work ethic,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “I think everyone respects that, and it is very evident. He's in great shape over the course of a 12-month calendar. He's always working his body and working his craft. He's very comparable to James Harrison in that mentality. “I think that's why he's endeared himself with his teammates. I think that's why he is as productive as he is.”

Brown is one of the few No. 1 receivers who doubles as the team's primary punt returner. His 12.9 yards per return average is the league's fourth-best, and he has one of the 13 punt return touchdowns this season.

“Name another No. 1 with similar stats to Brown that returns punts,” Tomlin said. “We appreciate his versatility and willingness to be an asset to us on special teams, as well as offense.” Of the other seven wide receivers in the punt return top 10, only Julian Edelman (89 receptions) of New England is within 41 catches of Brown, whose 67-yard punt return score was a key to the 30-20 upset of the Bengals on Sunday night.

Brown's maturation factors into his development as a game-changing offensive force, Tomlin said.

“As this thing continues to unfold, I just want to excel — and help us win games,” Brown said.

Playing Fantasy Football does not qualify you to be the in the front office or on the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are professionals and you are not!

The most impressive thing about Brown is that he continues to work hard on his craft and get better. I don't think anyone can argue that he has gotten better every year and met every challenge put before him. He hasn't plateaued simply relying on natural ability to get by like many WRs do.

Playing Fantasy Football does not qualify you to be the in the front office or on the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are professionals and you are not!

The most impressive thing about Brown is that he continues to work hard on his craft and get better. I don't think anyone can argue that he has gotten better every year and met every challenge put before him. He hasn't plateaued simply relying on natural ability to get by like many WRs do.

It was interesting to me that he was compared with James Harrison with his work ethic. That is some incredible drive.

Brown is #2 WR in the NFL in all-purpose yards from scrimmage, just behind Patterson. Brown>C Johnson. Given the stature of those two players you have to be impressed with Brown working his butt off to make plays.

Steelers receiver Antonio Brown closes in on some notable team records

By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The chips do not come in sizes and you cannot see them, yet Hines Ward always talked about the one on his shoulder and last week he talked to Antonio Brown about having one of his own.

Ward’s developed early when he was bullied and teased because he was of mixed race, then intensified when he was “only” drafted late in the third round.

Brown claims to have no such chip on his shoulder, but then practically grits his teeth when asked why he lasted until the sixth round of the draft.
Steelers Report: A look at the Green Bay Packers

“I don’t tend to think about that because that just stirs up more difficult thoughts,” Brown said.

The fact is, some of the Steelers’ best receivers were not high draft picks, and three of them are converging over these final two games into the holidays. Call them Christmas Present and Christmas Past.

Brown needs just 92 yards receiving to break Yancey Thigpen’s 1997 team record of 1,398 yards. Ward’s 2002 record of 112 receptions is a bit more out of reach because Brown has 95, which is tied with two of Ward’s seasons for second-most.

Usually, Brown declines to talk about personal accomplishments, especially records, but this much was pried out of him on the topic Wednesday after he started out with an “Ah, I don’t know.”

“It’s a good deal,” Brown said when prodded. “This organization is unique, it’s been going on for 80-plus years. To set that standard for myself, to set that mark will allow me every year when I come in to find ways to be better. It’s a great opportunity.”

That then is not so much a chip on Brown’s shoulder but a carrot in front of him, because he said he always sets goals, always tries to do it one better and that he learned such things by playing with Ward for two seasons.

The two talked when Ward was in town with the NBC-TV crew for the Sunday night game against Cincinnati, and they talked about Brown possibly passing his record.

“He was encouraging to let me know how close I am,” Brown said, “let me know how many catches I need, always reminding me you have to have a goal. Having a goal in this game when you play this game will always encourage you to be better. That’s what it’s about in the NFL.

“I think deep down he probably doesn’t want me to break it, but he’s always encouraging me to break it. We had a lot of great experiences together, and I’m sure he’s excited for me.

“One thing I take from him is the way he brought it every day. He always kept a goal in mind, he was always after something. I remember his last year here, he was after 1,000 catches.”

Like the other two, Thigpen was not a high draft pick, a fourth-rounder by the San Diego Chargers, who cut him in 1992. He went on to have two seasons of more than 1,300 yards with the Steelers and signed a big free-agent contract with Tennessee in 1998.

Who says you need a tall receiver or a first-round pick at the position to be successful? Thigpen was the tallest of the trio at 6 feet 1.

Coincidentally, Thigpen’s record could fall in the same place where he had his most infamous drop. The Steelers already had wrapped up their playoff bye and had nothing to play for in their 1995 finale Christmas Eve at Green Bay. The Packers needed a win to claim the old NFC Central Division title.

Trailing, 24-19, the Steelers had the ball with 16 seconds left on Green Bay’s 6. Neil O’Donnell threw a perfect pass to a wide-open Thigpen in the end zone — and he dropped it. That gave the Packers the division title and a playoff bye and dropped the Detroit Lions into a wild-card berth.

This will be Brown’s first trip to Lambeau Field, where many legends have played. Not a bad spot to set a record for an organization which can boast a few legends of its own.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Brown said. “Ancient stadium, the Green Bay Packers. I used to love Antonio Freeman back in the days. I’m excited to go there and have an opportunity to play there.”

As for Steelers legends, coach Mike Tomlin compared Brown’s work habits to those of linebacker James Harrison.

“He’s got ridiculous work ethic,” Tomlin said of Brown. “I think everyone respects that, and it’s very evident. He’s in great shape over the course of a 12-month calendar. He’s always working his body and working his craft. He’s very comparable to James Harrison in that mentality.

“He has that type of singular focus in terms of his growth and development as a football player. I think that’s why he’s endeared himself to his teammates. I think that’s why he’s as productive as he is.”

It’s not surprising then that, when the Steelers cut Harrison early this year after he declined their salary-reduction offer, Brown quickly moved into his locker. But not for that reason. There are no lockers to his left now, so “I’m just trying to get a little more real-estate. You can see I have a lot of stuff.”

He thought Tomlin was right-on with his comparison, though.

“James Harrison is a guy who wore a weighted vest to practice, a guy who excelled in the weight room and squatted 400-500 pounds, a guy who took care of his body and had an absolutely amazing commitment to the game.”

He might even agree with Tomlin when he said of Brown’s early years with the Steelers that “I think in his mind he’s always been a number one [receiver], even when he was a number four.”

Pretty soon, Antonio Brown could become a legend in other people’s minds, too.

Seeing what the Steelers have gotten out of Brown, did they get a bargain with what they are paying him or is it a fair amount for both sides ? Maybe too early to tell but with me and to this point, the Steelers have done real well with this.